Starry, starry night… and fine dining!
For a truly magical experience, check out the Snow Coach Dinner Tour at Red River Ski & Summer Area, a two-hour-long adventure that starts from the Main Chalet and ascends 1,600 vertical feet to the Ski Tip Restaurant.
The sun was beginning to set as my son William and I rode with a group up the mountain but we made it to the Tip in time to see a 360-degree view that included Gold Hill and Wheeler Peak. According to host and Chef Kai Dunbar, “The first tour of the evening, you get to view the sunset from the summit.”
Guests choose from among different entrees and desserts. Departure times from the Main Chalet are at 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Each tour will accommodate up to 12 people and a minimum of eight people is required for each trip. Reservations are required. Call 575-754-2223, ext. 201 or 202. Visit redriverskiarea.com/activity/snowcoachdinnertours for more information.
Prices are $115 for adults (18+) and include food, non-alcoholic beverages (with the option to purchase wine by the glass or bottle and imported or domestic beer by the bottle), taxes, and gratuity for the restaurant staff. The price of $87 for youth ages 5-12 includes a meal and drink from the Tip restaurant’s children’s menu.
Although the snow coach is heated, warm footwear and clothing are recommended as temperatures in the evening can be well below freezing.
“Only Red River Ski & Summer Area offers this,” Dunbar notes. “It’s giving guests an experience that they can get nowhere else. We have numerous repeat clients. We’ve also had a few wedding proposals up there this winter. It’s a very romantic setting.”
On the night William and I went, it was dark when we left and I am fairly certain one or two couples snuggled happily on the trip down. As we descended, Kai shadowed the Snow Coach on skis with LED lights and lighted poles. More than a few guests clutched their seats as our driver Stuart Church drove down The Face, an expert run above the Lift House, then ended the evening back at the Chalet.
It was fun and it was a phenomenal dining experience.
–Ellen Miller-Goins